1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is directed to bonded abrasive articles and particularly directed to bonded abrasive articles having a crystalline bond matrix.
2. Description of the Related Art
Abrasives are generally utilized in various machining operations, ranging from fine polishing to bulk material removal and cutting. For example, free abrasives composed of loose particles are used in slurries for polishing applications such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) in the semiconductor industry. Alternatively, abrasives can be in the form of fixed abrasive articles such as bonded and coated abrasives which can include devices such as grinding wheels, belts, rolls, disks and the like.
Fixed abrasives generally differ from free abrasives in that fixed abrasives utilize abrasive grains or grit within a matrix of material that fixes the position of the abrasive grains relative to each other. Common fixed abrasive grits can include alumina, silicon carbide, various minerals such as garnet, as well as superabrasives such as diamond and cubic boron nitride (cBN). In particular reference to bonded abrasive articles, the abrasive grits are fixed in relation to each other in a bond material. While many different bond materials can be used, vitrified bond materials, such as an amorphous phase glass materials are common. However, performance properties of conventional bonded abrasives such as, for example aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, diamond, and cubic boron nitride having vitrified bonds are limited by the nature of the bond and the composition of the abrasive grains. Notably, the bond between the bond matrix and the abrasive grains can be insufficient such that during grinding the abrasive grains are easily removed from the bond matrix, reducing the effectiveness of the grinding or polishing process.
The industry continues to need bonded abrasives having improved properties. Properties of interest include mechanical stability, strength, operable lifetime, and improved grinding performance.